LEONARDO DA VINCI
Leonardo devised many artifacts of our modern
lives, envisioning machines centuries before their
making (helicopters and bicycles, for example). He
bequeathed his drawings to a friend, and they
passed through private hands for 400 years before
becoming widely known. It is interesting to speculate
how engineering might have developed if his ideas
had been shared with the world earlier
Ink and chalk This is a pen and ink drawing with touches
of black chalk. Each item that has crashed from heaven is
drawn in such a way that we can feel Leonardo's nib
picking it up in the speed of a doodle. There is a little
magic in recognizing many items from our homes -
something like a rake, a hook, a bell, and a wheel, together
with half the contents of our garage. Above and below are
examples of his mirror handwriting. He was left-handed
and wrote backwards in Italian from left to right.Cloudburst of Material Possessions
1510-12
45 / 8 x 43 / 8 in (117x111 mm)
LEONARDO DA VINCI